Virtual match race

Geronimo is now across the Doldrums and into the northeasterly trade winds

Day 55
Position at 2317GMT: 05°07N 31°01W
24 hour run: 339.6nm
Average speed: 14.15 knots

Geronimo finally crossed the Equator at 02:10 GMT this morning having been slowed by the Doldrums. Since starting it has taken 54 days, 2 hours and 52 minutes for Olivier de Kersauson's Cap Gemini Schneider Electric-sponsored maxi-tri to re-cross the Equator. This compares with a time of 53 days, 4 hours and 49 minutes for Orange during her 2002 Jules Verne Trophy record attempt, although as the chart above show this was much further east and by our reckoning Orange and Geronimo are more or less neck and neck at present. Geronimo is more than 1,560 miles astern of Cheyenne's end of day 55 position.

In his radio interview of this morning, de Kersauson spoke of another rather surprising calculation he had made: that in all the distance covered from New Zealand to today’s position, Geronimo had flown her gennakers for only 18 hours, despite the fact that this is an attempt to sail around the world the 'right' way. Ever the fatalist, he concluded that they were now prepared for anything. “The crew is doing everything to get home as quickly as possible, of course, but I simply can’t tell you when! Last year, it took us a fortnight to get back from the Azores, so...”. To win back the Jules Verne Trophy, the 11-man crew must cross the finish line before 07:54 GMT (09:54 French time) on 30 April.

The outcome will depend mostly on the position of the Azores high pressure system over the next few days. The next 48 hours it will see it scuttling off to the east, providing a nice highway of southeasterlies as Cheyenne enjoyed. However Geronimo is at least 1,000 miles too far south to benefit from this. The present weather files indicate that Geronimo is in for yet more bad luck. She will continue to sail in the northeasterly trades, the wind veering to the east, until Saturday when she will be forced to tackle the newly formed Azores high. At this stage the high is forecast to be centred slightly to the west of the Azores, rather than well to the east as the crew would prefer. Geronimo must leave the Azores high to starboard or risk being stuck in yet more interminable headwinds - adding yet more miles to her voyage. Worse still, rather than move off to the east, the high looks set to move northeast, effectively barring their passage once again.

Someone on board has not been saying their hail Marys.

Below shows just how much further up the track Cheyenne was at the end of day 55...